Abandoned Philadelphia

From the new Comcast Center to the FMC Tower, Philadelphia’s evolving skyline has become a focal point for the city.

However less attention gets spent on the cities abandoned buildings.

We decided to shine a light on six of these boarded-up structures:

PECO Delaware Station

Willow Steam Plant

Spring Garden Public School

Quaker Storage Building

Dreuding Brothers Building

Richmond Power Station

Though abandoned and in decrepit states, these buildings all seem to have a surprising beauty as well as a rich history in making Philadelphia what it is today.

We have compiled some information on that history below.

Enjoy the video:

PECO Delaware Station

Built: 1920

Last Active: 2004

Location: Fishtown

Located on the Delaware River, adjacent to Penn Treaty Park in Fishtown, this coal-fired power plant first opened its doors in 1920. It was originally designed by John T. Windram, who also designed the Franklin Institute. The plant was owned by Exelon Generation until 2015 when it was sold to Bart Blatstein and Joseph Volpe who have plans to build boutique hotels.

Willow Steam Plant

Built: 1927

Last Active: 1982

Location: Northern Liberties

Set a little north of 676 on N 9th St, the Willow Steam Plant was built in 1927 by the Philadelphia Electric Company. The facility provided heat and hot water through Center City’s steam system. The plant is currently owned by Trigen Energy Corporation. Private developers have been scared away from redeveloping the building because of abestos-filled walls.

Spring Garden Public School

Built: 1931

Last Active: 1986

Location: Poplar

This abandoned public school was built in 1931 and designed by the Philadelphia School District. The property is known for its distinctive paved rooftop which was used as a gym. There have been proposals discussed to convert the structure into a residential building, but nothing has been finalized yet.

Quaker Storage Building

Built: 1969

Last Active: ?

Location: Poplar

This was the toughest building to find information about. We know that it was built in 1969, by the Quaker Storage Company. Formerly known as Bernstein’s Moving and Storage, the company changed names after an anti-Semitic attack on owner David Bernstein’s truck one night. Bernstein felt “Quaker” was safer to have on the outside of his truck.

Dreuding Brothers Building

Built: 1907

Last Active: ?

Location: Kensington

This 10-story former leather factory housed the Dreuding Brothers Company. Founded by German immigrants Charles and Henry Dreuding, the company became the only manufacturer of chamois leather in the city. The now blighted structure was built in 1907 by William Steele and Sons. The building has been abandoned for decades and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Richmond Power Station

Built: 1925

Last Active: 1984

Location: Port Richmond

With Philadelphia’s northeast population expanding in the early 1920s, the need arose for a new power plant. Designed by W.C.L. Eglin, the Port Richmond station was born in 1925. At its peak, this coal-fired plant’s steam turbines had a max capacity of 600 megawatts. The facility closed its doors in 1984, but has since been used in a number of Hollywood films such as 12 Monkeys, Transformers 2, and most recently The Last Airbender.

Feel free to let us know in the comments what you think of these and if you have any more information about any of them!

Man seeing some of these old buildings was so cool. I remember growing up in Philly and some of these were stick up and active, but not anymore, huh? Anyway, thanks for sharing. You can check out my homepage at hank.com!

great! i owned a building at 24th and Washington ave that was formerly owned by the bradford-white hot water tank manufacture. the original building was built prior to the civil war and was used to make uniforms for the union soldiers. it is included in the Pennsylvania archives journal.

Quaker storage was originally Strawbridge and Clothier warehouse. The residual name is still on the wall by the main entrance on Poplar. The layout was there many years before 1969. I think the date is in error.

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